Trick-or-Treat
by queen-bess-mccord
Summary: Pumpkins, costumes, and fun with the McCords on Halloween. Enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** I'm back! This idea hit me 2 days before Halloween and I didn't have enough time to complete it by then, so here it is! :) Huge thank you to Henry (TeamElizabethMcCord) for all the suggestions and being my beta reader. Enjoy!

* * *

 **VIRGINIA, 2005**

"Momma, Dadda! Whatchu gonna be for Halloween?" screeched little Jason. His tiny feet thudded against the wooden floor as he ran into Elizabeth and Henry's shared study, his backpack thumping against his back with every step he took.

"Woah, woah, be careful there, big man," Henry chided lightly, hearing his youngest child return home from a day at preschool. He caught Jace in his arms right before his face met with the ground and put him on his lap. "Try not to run around so much, kiddo."

Looking around, he realized his mother was not around. His brows furrowed slightly, "Where's Momma?"

"She's still at work; she'll be home soon." Henry smiled.

"Oh okay." Satisfied with that answer, he repeated his question. "Dadda, Miss Jones said Halloween is next week! Whatchu gonna be for Halloween?"

"What would you like to be?"

"I dunno... Oh, oh! I wanna be Dash from The Incredibles! He's so fast, Dadda!" He started making funny sound effects, bouncing up and down on Henry's lap with a determined look on his face. The McCords had just watched The Incredibles several days ago, and naturally, Jason picked out his favorite character from the movie to dress up as.

"That's a great idea! Let's tell Momma and your sisters later, shall we?"

* * *

"So, I hear someone wants to be Dash for Halloween…" Elizabeth announced to the dinner table, looking pointedly at Jason.

"Me, me! I wanna be Dash! Pretty please, Momma! _Please please please_!" Jason pleaded.

"Well, I, for one, love the idea! What do you think, girls?"

Alison and Stevie nodded their heads furiously, unable to speak with their mouths full of food.

"So Dadda will be Mr Incredible, I'll be Elastigirl, and Jason will be Dash. Who wants to be Violet?"

Two hands shot into the air and the girls glared at each other. "I'm the oldest, I'm Violet!" Stevie argued.

"But I have black hair like her! I don't wanna be Jack Jack; he's a boy!" Alison started to wail.

Bess's mind scrambled for an idea. "Noodle, maybe both you and Stevie can be Violet. She has two powers, so you can choose one, and Stevie can choose the other. How about that?"

"I want to have the force field thingy!" Alison exclaimed, just as Stevie said, "I want to be invisible!"

"Then that's settled!"

* * *

 **PITTSBURGH, 2005**

The five of them arrived at the McCords' residence on Halloween. The place was already decorated in splashes of orange, purple, and black inside and out. Cobwebs and paper spiders peeped out from corners of the house, and cutout bats hung along the walls and fireplace in the living hall. All that's left were the pumpkins, waiting to be carved.

The adults supervised the kids in carving the pumpkins, letting them draw out the shapes before taking over to carve them. Alison and Stevie traced the Incredibles' symbol accurately on their pumpkins, leaving their mother beaming at them, while Jason had other plans in mind. He knitted his brows, pursing his lips as he moved his marker along the surface of the pumpkin in concentration.

Checking in, Henry asked, "Hey big man, what do you have there?"

Jason shook his head playfully, "Guess!"

"Hmm…" he titled his head, trying to decipher what the scribbles were, "Is it the mask that the Incredibles wear?"

"Dadda how did you know? You're good! Can you help me cut it, please?"

"Sure."

Moonlight soon replaced clear blue skies as the autumn sun set. People in costumes started filtering onto the streets lined with glowing jack-o'-lanterns. The McCords' living room grew with chatter while the kids got into their costumes, eager to start filling their buckets with Halloween candy; everyone except Maureen and Shane was going to trick-or-treat in the neighborhood.

"Momma, you look just like Elastigirl! Except for the hair color. But still very pwetty!" Alison quipped, flashing a toothy grin.

"Thank you, noodle," Elizabeth ruffled her hair affectionately, "you look very pretty too."

Maureen stood in one corner of the room silently, eyeing - no, glaring - at her sister-in-law across the room. How dare she saunter in every year whenever she pleased, like she was to be treated like some sort of _royalty_ , being fawned over by everyone. And as if that wasn't enough, the way Henry trailed after her like a puppy - God, it irked her. "Should have just dressed up as _Queen Elizabeth_ ," she spat under her breath.

"Maureen!" exclaimed Henry. The whole room fell silent with his sudden outburst. Lowering his voice, he whispered harshly, "If you have nothing nice to say, can you just stay silent? The kids are here to enjoy Halloween, for God's sake."

"Oh yeah, sure. Strolling in here every single year, with your noses held in the air, as if _she_ has to be treated like some freakin' queen. And her job in, what, CIA? I bet she tortures people, and yet, you're fine with it, even with your almighty ethics and whatnot. She has you wrapped around her little finger and you don't even see it," she scoffed.

" _Maureen!_ Elizabeth has been nothing but humble; she has done _absolutely nothing_ against you! You know what, that's it, we're done," turning to his wife and kids, he toned his voice down, "Come on, babe, let's go. Kids, shall we go and start our trick-or-treating?"

Stevie, Alison, and Jason, sensing the tension between the adults, quietly nodded and followed their parents out the door.

The crisp autumn air enveloped them as they stepped out.

"Babe, are you alright?" Elizabeth slipped her hand into his and rubbed soothing circles on his skin; the fury rolling off him was almost tangible.

"I'm sorry about Maureen."

"I think that's a given," she chuckled, "You said that the very first time I visited your family here."

"Right," he laughed humorlessly.

"Why don't we just forget whatever that happened and enjoy the rest of the night?"

Looking at her, the anger he held against Maureen dississipated. Smiling, he replied, "Yeah."

* * *

Laughter could be heard everywhere as the McCords visited welcoming doors. Kids from the neighborhood dressed up for the festivities, forming a parade of heroes, heroines, royalties and monsters along the streets. Henry and Elizabeth couldn't help but laugh as their children played make belief, continuously running around in circles and shooting imaginary powers at each other.

"Momma, look! I'm so fast!" Jason boasted as he dashed around the four of them.

"Yes, honey, you are. But be careful not to fall, alright?"

He said a quick "okay", accompanied by echoes of "zoom!" soon after. The girls also had fun, supporting each other's backs as they shared superpowers in their mission to get more candies.

By 9 pm, the little ones were in their parents' arms - Jason in Elizabeth's and Alison and Stevie in Henry's - struggling to keep their eyes open. They returned to Shane's house, where they were staying for the weekend, and settled the kids into their beds for the night before retiring to their own room.

Once the door closed, Henry wrapped his arms around her, nuzzling her neck. "Thank you for tonight."

"What for?" She turned around to face him, tilting his chin to meet his gaze.

"The way you dealt with the whole Maureen thing; she's always saying those awful things about you. I'll never understand how you have so much patience and tolerance for her."

"I grew up having my brother as my only family most of the time, and even then, he wasn't around a lot. Arguments can be infuriating sometimes, but at least the house isn't silent. Putting up with her is a piece of cake," she shrugged.

"God, I love you." He leaned down to kiss her, his lips dancing on hers. They blindly navigated their way over to the bed in the dark, laughing when they fell back all of a sudden.

The second part of Halloween had just begun.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** Hey guys! I'm back from finals and a piano exam (phew). Sorry this took so long! Huge thank you to Henry (aka TeamElizabethMcCord) for making up for my extreme lack of familiarity with American/Halloween culture. Hope you guys like this, and as usual, reviews are hoghly appreciated! :) Enjoy!

* * *

 **WASHINGTON, 2016**

"Holy crap this thing is tight," she huffed, adjusting her dress. "My boobs are gonna fall out of the dress at this rate."

Henry shot her an amused look, hoping that the kids didn't hear their mom's complaint. "Babe, you look fine."

Following his line of sight, color rose in her cheeks as she muttered under her breath, "Yeah, sure, quit staring. God, I'll go down in history as the sluttiest Secretary of State."

"Really, babe, you look fine. Okay, how about throwing on a shawl or something? It wouldn't look out of place." The kids fussed over their own costumes, oblivious to the exchange between their parents.

She turned around looking for a shawl and spotted one draped across the couch. "Oh thank God." Bending down to reach it, a puff of air escaped her lips as the binding bodice forced the breath out of her lungs. "How the hell do Broadway stars perform in this thing?! I can barely breathe, much less sing in it. Not that I can sing in the first place but still."

Henry sensed her frustration and took the shawl from her hands, wrapping it around her shoulders. "Now you're decent. And may I remind you, you were the one who chose to do Hamilton this Halloween." Henry grinned at his wife, finding her oddly charming when she was annoyed. Elizabeth was dressed up as Angelica, Henry as Hamilton, Stevie as Eliza, Alison as Peggy, and Jason as Lafayette.

"Yeah! I thought it'd be fun, not torture."

"Babe, deep breathsー," Elizabeth shot him a look, "alright, okay, no deep breaths. We'll make it a quick one; it'll be a short trip to the carnival and back."

"Fine," she grumbled.

Leaning in, he brushed his lips against her ear, causing her to shiver involuntarily. "But hey, imagine the relief you'll feel when I take it off of you later."

"Mm, really," she chuckled.

"Oh yeah." He closed the distance between them, kissing her playfully as his arms circled around her waist.

"Oh God I'm scarred for life," Alison said when she looked up from her siblings' costumes in time to see her parents making out in the middle of their living room.

"Jesus, get a room, will ya!" Jason exclaimed.

* * *

"So, here are your masks. Ali made sure they matched our outfits so we can go undetected _and_ look good at the same time," Elizabeth said, handing out masquerade masks to each of them before putting on her own.

Hers was a beautiful shade of bronze that complemented her dress, adorned with a gold feather in one corner and several gems around her eyes. Stevie and Alison's masks were almost identical to Elizabeth's, differing only in colour, while Henry and Jason's were simple black velvet masks with gold trimmings along the edges.

Carrying several props in her hand, Elizabeth made her way out to the SUVs parked in front of the house.

"Hey Matt, can you guys put this on?"

He eyed the Hamilton wigs and coats warily. "It's against protocol, ma'am."

"Please? It's just for the night."

"Sorry, ma'am."

"Fine, how about just the coats and the masks? No wigs, I promise." He opened his mouth to speak but before he could utter a word, she cut in. "Pretty please? C'mon, it's Halloween."

"...Pass them over," he sighed in defeat.

"Thanks, Matt! I owe you one."

It was a short drive between their home and the carnival; a mere 5-minute ride away. Alison and Jason protested against having the DS agents come along initially, but they came to a compromise and had just two SUVs for the night instead. Protocols are protocols.

The DS agents secured the perimeter once they got there, leaving only Matt and Frank tailing the McCords wherever they went.

Stepping into the carnival, they found themselves in front of a haunted house stationed right beside the entrance. It looked exactly like any upscale Georgetown residence in DC, except a lot darker and much more twisted.

"They sure outdid themselves this year," Elizabeth muttered under her breath, surveying the haunted Georgetown home from outside.

"It's pretty funny if you ask me. Wanna go in there now, Mom?" Jason challenged.

"Maybe we'll save it for later." Wars, she could deal with. People dressed as disfigured corpses jumping and screaming at her, not so much.

Game and food stalls lined the street, covered in bursts of orange and black from top to bottom.

Kicking off the Halloween celebrations, all of them took part in a pumpkin carving contest; Henry and Elizabeth worked together while the girls paired up, leaving Jason, who insisted on going solo, carving his pumpkin alone. Not unexpectedly, Jason The Rebel cut Sam Evans' campaign logo into the orange flesh, eliciting facepalms and groans from the family. Alison and Stevie carved Hamilton while the parental units did a classic Jack-o'-lantern. Once they were done, they took a pinch of cinnamon and sprinkled it inside the pumpkin before lighting it up with a candle and putting it on display.

All around, Halloween goers were bobbing for apples, building pumpkin catapults, and pinning warts on witches. The stalls were also giving out candies to kids as part of the trick-or-treating tradition.

The McCords had an evening full of fun, taking part in the games and winning some prizes along the way. Despite the effort to disguise themselves, they were still recognisable by some members of the public but the DS agents' presence deterred anyone from approaching them. Having the agents around wasn't such a bad thing after all.

It wasn't long before they landed up in front of the haunted house again.

"Uh, you guys can go ahead. I'll wait here." Elizabeth said, nervousness edging into her voice.

"What, mom, are you scared?" Jason joked.

"Jason," Henry warned, then turning to her, "Babe, do you wanna give it a try? I know it's not your thing, but it doesn't seem that bad as compared to most haunted houses."

She shuddered at the thought of the zombies and vampires chasing after her. "I don't know…"

"I'll be here the whole time," he gently assured her. He held out his hand, silently inviting her.

She lowered her voice to a whisper, "Promise you won't let go of me?"

"Promise."

"Alright." She took his hand and let the kids lead the way into the menacing Georgetown home.

Entering the place, it was eerily silent. The place was covered in black cobwebs and dark splatters on the walls. And many places for the actors to hide, Elizabeth mentally noted. Her grip on Henry's hand tightened with each step they took - it made her jumpy that they couldn't see beyond a 3-feet radius.

Suddenly, a bloodied politician with a chainsaw as an arm came out of a closet charging at them. The kids jumped in shock and Alison let out a tiny yelp. Elizabeth, however, screamed and dove into Henry's arms, which caught her promptly and pulled her close.

"Babe, it's alright, he won't hurt us." He ran his hand along her back, trying to calm her down.

"Oh my holy mother of God is he gone?"

"He's grunting," he chuckled, "he kinda looks like Russell Jackson."

"Wait, seriously?" She turned around and took a quick look before turning back, holding back a giggle. "He does look like Russell."

"See, it's not so scary."

"Guys, can we move on?" Jason asked, irritated.

"Oh, yeah, okay." Elizabeth stepped out of Henry's embrace, only grasping his hand in hers.

Turns out, the actors were all dressed as various politicians in the cabinet. As they made their way through the rooms, they encountered many familiar faces, including President Dalton, Sam Evans, Fred Reynolds, Ephraim Ware, and even Nadine Tolliver. What was initially thought to be a scream fest ended up being a laughing party.

Elizabeth protested when she met the horror version of her. "I do _not_ look like that! Do I?"

"Just a bit, especially after a day of saving the world," Henry joked.

"Oh shut up." She smacked him playfully.

"Ouch."

They managed to complete the trail within 15 minutes and all of them came out unscathed.

"I'll admit, this one wasn't too bad," Elizabeth said, breathing in the crisp air.

"Wanna go again?" Jason wiggled his eyebrows.

"I think we've had enough for tonight," she replied quickly.

They returned home soon after, ready to rest for the night.

"Your mom and I are tired so we're heading to bed," Henry announced, trudging up the stairs with Elizabeth behind him. Little did the kids know that they were escaping to the confines of their bedroom to commence the second part of their Halloween tradition.

Quickly shutting the door, Elizabeth tugged on his arm. "Y'know, the haunted house was still a little scary. Wanna help me get rid of the nightmares?"

He caught the mischief in her eyes. "Sure," he grinned.


End file.
